Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) made an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash this Sunday to discuss his recent altercation during a briefing led by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

Previously, Padilla had disrupted Noem’s press briefing by entering from the side of the room, speaking loudly, and interrupting the session amidst increased threats to the DHS. He attempted to engage before it was time for questions from the reporters present. Padilla did not reveal his identity until security intervened to move him back, but he still persisted in his efforts.

Senator Padilla from California refuted claims this week that he was seeking social media attention when he forced his way toward DHS Secretary Noem during her press conference, stating that his sole intention was to pose a question.

The only problem with his answer? Secretary Noem was not taking… pic.twitter.com/MSIEvJU0WQ

— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) June 15, 2025

He says he was there for another briefing from “Northern Command.” So he was supposed to be getting a briefing from the military, but then he went to crash Noem’s briefing. But no, he wasn’t going for the “viral moment,” not at all. If he wasn’t going for the viral moment, he would have waited for the appropriate time for questions.